


White Out

by Jeyfeather1234



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Assassins & Hitmen, Chameleon Arch (Doctor Who), F/M, False Identity, False Memories, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Memory Alteration, Mentioned Past Companions (Doctor Who), Mind Manipulation, Not A Fix-It, Not Beta Read, Post-Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children, Post-Season/Series 12 AU, Psychological Horror, Sorry Not Sorry, Spoilers for Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children, Tags May Change, The Doctor (Doctor Who) is a Mess, but not really, fun telepathy stuff, it's existential angst hours boys and girls, it's like a fix it fic but everything gets worse and nobody has a good time, some stuff in here are headcanons but just pretend it's canon, the Doctor is implied to be an eldritch being, this is a fuck up fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25551349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeyfeather1234/pseuds/Jeyfeather1234
Summary: Retrospective falsificationis the unconscious distortion of past experiences to conform to a person's needs in the present.THE DOCTOR IS DEAD.The eccentric Time Lord hasn't been seen since she last told her loyal companions to live great lives before detonating the Death Particle on Gallifrey to save the universe. The fam struggle to cope with the loss of their alien friend. Yaz is having a hard time adjusting to her mundane life and only wants to find the Doctor again. Her wish comes true, but not in the way she expected.
Relationships: The Doctor | Theta Sigma & The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era), Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	White Out

**Author's Note:**

> – The Doctor is dead but not really. – The Master is furious and heartbroken. – Yaz is desperate to get her friend back. 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theta Sigma's grave is an unfamiliar ship with unfamiliar people. Koschei Oakdown is deeply perturbed by his god's silence.

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

* * *

It happened in the quietest, coldest parts of the universe where no one could hear you scream. She didn't know how long she'd been trapped in the dark cell she'd been forced to call home. The place wasn't that large; if she had to make an estimate, she'd assume it to be 15 square meters. There was only a window and one-way teleporter to place prisoners in and a tiny window with thick blue bars that glowed to provide light. The Doctor was unfamiliar with the distant stars that accompanied her. There were no moons or suns to be seen; only quiet stars that shone dimly. During her time, she came up with names and stories for them. She sang the songs she could remember, plotted potential escape plans that would never come to fruition, and wondered about her parents.

Who else knew about the truth about the Timeless Child. Did Ohila know? What about the Rani? Clara? And Donna? That would explain much. Who even came up with that title nyway? Timeless Child... Her lips twitched in disgust, remembering that look on his face when they were in the ruins of the Citadel. He wouldn't understand. He'd never understand the curse of immortality. He was Death's champion after all. But Jack... She had so much to say to say to him. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. She wanted to see him again just one more time to tell him how sorry she was for treating him so cruelly. Never be cruel, never be cowardly. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Yes, she had a lot of people to apologize to. Mostly, her fam for making them put up with her bullshit. There was definitely going to be a long talk about Gallifrey and the Master. She was not looking forward to that, but it needed to be done. But there would be no need since she'd be dead in a few minutes. Of course, she didn't know this yet.

But soon she would.

Soon came in the form of two burly humanoid aliens in black armor wielding sonic blasters and assorted knives. The Doctor sat up, suddenly alert for the first time in a long while, and beamed at them. "Hi there!" she greeted. "Didn't expect any visitors to come by–"

One them interrupted, frowning down at her. "You are ordered by lord Cedas to come with us to the mothership." Now it was the Doctor's turn to frown. _Cedas?_ She couldn't recall hearing that name before.

"Sorry, I don't know anyone that goes by that name." She leaned back, studying their features.

"You will," the other said in a voice that implied that staying here was not an option.

"Are you threatening me? You don't want to do that, mate." He pressed the muzzle of their gun to her head and bared their fangs at her.

"We have been authorized to make you comply via whatever means necessary. Do you think we don't know about your gift, time lord?" The Doctor held his gaze, a low growl rumbling at the back of her throat. "We will exploit and torture you until you learn to comply." She weighed the options: follow two shady looking guards to who knows where or be tortured and exploited again by different people? The universe really did hate her, didn't it? After all, she was from another universe. It made sense for it to treat her like a disease. _Damn,_ she thought bitterly. She was really hoping Jack and the gang would get her out of this cell. _Maybe next time._

"Fine," she responded. "But I better get to have a word with this lord of yours."

"Of course," the first one grumbled, nodding his head. They cuffed her arms behind her back before teleporting to a white room with a chair nailed to the floor. There was a headpiece hanging from a hook on a wall that connected to a large device in a corner. Oh no. 

_**Thank you for your service.** We're sorry you won't remember any of it._

Before she could say anything, they were shoving her towards the chair. No. No, they couldn't take her away. Not after learning so much about herself that'd been hidden for countless aeons. She couldn't forget her friends and the promises she'd made to herself. Who would she be if the Doctor was erased? What atrocities would she commit? An unearthly shriek of terror and panic escaped her lips as she planted her feet in the floor. _No, no no._ The universe needed her, whether it liked it or not. She would _not die._ "No, no! Let me go! I need to remember everything. Please! Please, don't do this to me. You don't know what it's like–" Something sharp was pressed into her skin. "Wh- n-no..." It only took seconds for the drugs to work. A tingling sensation spread through her legs until she couldn't feel them anymore and her vision became hazy.

"It's alright," a different voice, female this time, murmured, rubbing her back gently. "It's alright, don't fight it. It'll be over soon." She tried to stand but was roughly shoved onto the chair by strong hands. Rough bands held her arms securely strapped to the chair hold. Soft hands stroked her hair comfortingly. "This will only take a few minutes, love."

"I don't want to go," she whispered.

"I know. But all things must die and be born a new." The Doctor couldn't help but whine in protest as tears formed in her eyes. Why? What did that mean? Why did she have to forget it all so soon? If only...if only...

_《Koschei...》_

It was all she could do before the crown was placed on her head and the pain took over.

...

A throbbing at the back of her head greeted her when she woke. She groaned softly, forcing her aching her aching body to sit up. As she ran a hand through her hair, she paused. It didn't feel right. When had it gotten so short? She didn't remember cutting it. The throbbing in her head became a sharp sensation behind her right eye. Clenching her teeth, she reached for the bottle of pills on her nightstand and swallowed two. She was about to consider going back to bed when the door opened. A handsome young man with light brown hair pulled up a chair to sit in as he smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Whiteout," he greeted, shaking her hand. "I'm Sundew, your assistant. Did you sleep well?" She didn't know. Everything felt...strange, disoriented. She settled on the easy answer.

"Yes," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"That's wonderful." He wrote something down on a tablet he carried with him. "Make sure to take your meds before getting changed or your migraines won't go away in time, okay?" She nodded. "Your clothes are all ready in the closet," he jerked his head towards the small door in a corner, "and there's a package you should open in the bathroom. You should get dressed. We've got a lot of work to do." Sundew patted her shoulder before leaving the room for a short while. Whiteout stumbled a bit as she made her way to the loo. How long had it been since she'd been out of bed? _What does it matter?_ she thought to herself dismissively. Next to the soap bar on the sink was a small purple box with a sticky note on top.

**Please don't discard box**

**Use only if feeling symptoms**

**~ Nurse**

Inside was a packet of white birth control pills and a pregnancy test stick. "Weird," she muttered, examining the contents carefully. She didn't like the way the last sentence was worded so she threw out the note before putting the box in the back of a cupboard so she wouldn't have to think about it. Whiteout looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been given a sidecut at some point and there was a tattoo she didn't remember getting on the right side of her neck, just low enough for it to be hidden by a collar or turtleneck. She squinted, searching her reflection. Old, tired eyes that did not fit her youthful face stared back at her. She didn't dwell on it for too long and busied herself by taking a shower and getting dressed. She'd have to think about the oddities later. Sundew might be waiting for her outside and she didn't want to keep him waiting.

_《...Koschei...》_

The Master sat upright on his couch, startled. He'd barely heard it but the word sent a chill down his spine. For a moment, he considered ignoring her like most times. She couldn't even detonate the Death Particle, he thought spitefully. Why would she need him? Why would anybody need me? The thought made him want to ram his head into a wall. Stupid fuck, thinking she'd stand with you, he chided. Piece of shit. But something...something was wrong. He could feel it. Actually, he couldn't. The familiar low hum that let him know that Theta– the Doctor was still alive and in reach was gone. There wasn't even the faint psychic energy tickling at the back of his brain that assured him that idiot had somehow lost their power to mind meld with another time lord.

_《Doctor?》_

Silence.

_《Doctor, don't play games with me. I am not in the mood for this.》_

Nothing. Not even the faintest hint of anything. It just him and the quiet beeping of his TARDIS console. Shoving down panic, he tried to reach her again. While he wasn't one for hoping because he hadn't needed it before, a small part of himself hoped that his...his what? Friend? Enemy? Best enemy? No, none of those. God, perhaps. His god who had shunned and stared down at him with the fury of a thousand suns and jaded coldness of the harshest winters was gone. Perhaps she'd found her home and decided that she didn't want him around anymore. But no. No, there'd still be something to grasp. Something other than empty space that did not respond when he called. His god was, as much as he wished to deny it, in danger. Why else would she call him that name if it weren't for something important? _To spite you, perhaps._

The Master leaped out of his couch and started flicking buttons on the console in a frenzy. If he could just locate her TARDIS and pay a little visit, he wouldn't have to worry so much. Not that he was actually worried about her. It took a moment for his ship to locate the other. He frowned. "What?" he said aloud, staring at the result: GALLIFREY. She would not want to go back there, not after all of that nonsense. Why was it there? The Master punched in the coordinates and paced furiously. Why would she be here? What purpose did she have there? There was nothing to return to.

 _《Except for the barn,》_ his TARDIS reminded. Of course. The barn. It was always the place little Theta would run off to when he was scared. Was that where she was? 

Sure enough, the blue box was still there. "Why are you here?" he murmured, pushing open the door. The console hummed to life as he walked in. She really overdid it, he thought to himself, getting a proper look at the ridiculous interior. "Alright you old thing," he muttered, flicking a few switches. "Where'd she go this time?"

 _《Jail,》_ the TARDIS responded bluntly. The Master blinked, taken aback.

"You're joking, right?"

 _《Platoon of Judoon sentenced her to lifetime imprisonment.》_ He couldn't help but laugh a little at the irony before shaking his head.

"No, that can't be right. She's immortal. She's..." He trailed off, not wanting to think about the implications. He tried to shake out the unwanted thoughts but dread crawled up his spine like tiny invisible spiders. The Doctor should be fine. She was immortal. She was essentially a goddess, she could take care of herself. So why had she gone silent all of a sudden? _What did they do to you, Doctor? Where are you?_ Where in the vast universe had his morning star gone off too? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! I'm really excited to share more of this stuff with you guys. @ BBC, the Master + companions reluctant team up when? Anyway, take your meds and drink water y'all.


End file.
